Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0344232 (blurred vision)
 2,072 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A 55-yr-old woman with a history of B-cell lymphoma of the nasopharynx diagnosed in March 1999 eventually underwent submyeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation from a sibling donor in December 2002 after conventional treatment options were exhausted. The treatment approach was somewhat altered by the fact that the patient was a practicing Jehovah's Witness and refused blood-blood product transfusion. The course of her treatment was unremarkable until around day 100 posttransplant when she developed graft failure, leading to severe anemia. Blood transfusions were refused. Donor cells were re-infused. During this treatment period, the patient's hemoglobin dropped to a low of 2.7 g/dL, with the patient experiencing severe fatigue, dyspnea on exertion, headaches, and blurred vision. Polymerized human hemoglobin (pyridoxylated) (Poly- Heme, Northfield Laboratories Inc., Evanston, IL) was given under an emergency, compassionate use protocol and successfully bridged the patient's hemoglobin and relieved symptoms during her marrow recovery period.
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PMID:The administration of polymerized human hemoglobin (Pyridoxylated) to a Jehovah's Witness after submyeloablative stem cell transplantation complicated by delayed graft failure. 1743 70

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is characterized by the accumulation of periodic acid-schiff stain-positive lipoproteinaceous materials in the alveolar space due to impaired surfactant clearance by alveolar macrophage. Autoimmune PAP is the most common form of PAP, but rarely accompanies collagen disease or sarcoidosis. We report here a rare case of autoimmune PAP preceded by systemic sclerosis and sarcoidosis. A 64-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for blurred vision, muscle weakness of extremities, Raynaud's phenomenon, and exertional dyspnea. We diagnosed her as having systemic sclerosis complicated with sarcoidosis. Chest computed tomography (CT) and transbronchial lung biopsy showed the findings of pulmonary fibrosis without PAP. We treated her with corticosteroid and intravenous cyclophosphamide therapy, followed by tacrolimus therapy. Thereafter, her symptoms improved except for exertional dyspnea, and she began to complain of productive cough thirteen months after corticosteroid and immunosuppressant therapy. On the second admission, a chest CT scan detected the emergence of crazy-paving pattern in bilateral upper lobes. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid with milky appearance and a lung biopsy specimen revealed acellular periodic acid-schiff stain-positive bodies. The serum titer of anti-granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) antibodies was elevated on first admission and remained high on second admission. We thus diagnosed her as having autoimmune PAP. Reducing the dose of immunosuppressive agents and repeating the segmental BAL resulted in the improvement of her symptoms and radiological findings. Immunosuppressant therapy may trigger the onset of autoimmune PAP in a subset of patients with systemic sclerosis and/or sarcoidosis.
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PMID:Elevated Serum Anti-GM-CSF Antibodies before the Onset of Autoimmune Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis in a Patient with Sarcoidosis and Systemic Sclerosis. 2896 13